Decentralise to Survive!
Creating Cultural Impact Beyond Borders
Felipe Franco/Rich Akers/Nicole Ingra
Drawing from firsthand experiences of navigating global and virtual landscapes, our panel will discuss and debate the urgency of decentralising creative processes in the age of AI, expanding markets, and more focused teams. We’ll explore the role of local insights and cultural nuances in creating brands and campaigns with true global impact, and how to work with brands and people across the world.

Hashtag:
#decentralisetosurvive
Felipe Franco
Director & Creative Director
FF
Barcelona

Felipe Franco is a director of commercials, narrative films, and creative director. Made in Brazil, brewed in Germany, and is currently in Barcelona – trying to conserve his youth in olive oil and wine.

He is a good definition of a global citizen: acquainted with over 42 countries, resident in 6, and fluent in 4 languages.

Since 2006 abroad, FF kick-started his ad career in Germany with further stations in Prague and Shanghai. He worked globally for some of the most acclaimed agencies, creating campaigns for some of the biggest and most prestigious clients worldwide.

His creative work ranges from the infamous “St. Pauli Peeback” to the lovely animation “Ritz-Carlton – Back to the Stars” and features stars like David Beckham, Lando Norris, Son Heung-Min, and Xzibit. He has been recognized with awards and honors in most of the major advertising award shows.

Felipe Franco uses his international background to inspire his teams to create ideas that comes from truthful insights to find their relevance in the society – independently from media or formats. Ideas that create a dialog with the audience instead of a brand monologue.

After over 14 years of creating campaigns and commercials worldwide, the progression toward directing felt natural.

In directing, FF found the perfect playground to unite his passions and talent: a love for telling meaningful and entertaining stories, associated with a strong sense of aesthetics. “Story is king but the visual is queen”.

His official commercial directing debut was for Porsche China, in 2018. 

In 2022, FF debuted narrative films with 2 short films (approx. 20min): “21 Days” and “The elected” and granted his Master’s in Directing from the ESCAC, one of the most prestigious cinema schools in Spain.

These short films are currently in post-production. A new one is already in development – the last one before his first feature film.
Rich Akers
Creative Partnerships Director: Asia
Mash Brands
Hua Hin

Rich’s two decades of hands-on Asia experience spans start-ups and SMEs to global brands, on-the-tools design and copywriting to project and account management, virtual and remote to in-house teams. He believes that creative is made by people, for people, which seems an obvious thing to say, but it’s worth saying now more than ever.


Rich’s second taste of Asia was co-founding and leading all creative, brand, and marketing for 3 F&B brands in Beijing, which collectively are some of the most awarded F&B brands in China. During this time he collaborated with local and international brands such as Moa Brewing Co., Jing A. Fonterra and Anchor, and Plastered.


Then as Creative and Concept Director of VOK DAMS Beijing, Rich added international awards to the shelf leading brand events for clients such Audi, Ducati, JETTA, and Bentley, and lead concept, creative, and production for the Volkswagen New Brand Design Launch Grand Experience under the Guangzhou Tower in 2019.


Currently as Asia Creative Partnerships Director for Mash Brands, Rich has overseen the curation and management of global remote teams, executing a wide variety of strategy, creative, and production work for brands such as Netflix, Accor, Banyan Group, Ironman, and many others.


Rich’s first taste of Asia was as a singer in Chinese Boy Band. He’s also been a dance teacher, led a terrible 90s cover band, and like 90% of all other creatives is also a DJ. He is Melbourne born and bred, late of Beijing and currently based in Thailand where he works with clients all over Asia.

Nicole Ingra
Founder & Global Director of Insights & Strategy
Ingra Labs
Barcelona

Nicole Ingra is a Global Director of Insights and Strategy and Workshop Leader with a decade of experience working at the intersection of culture, behaviour, business & technology. Running a decentralised consultancy, Nicole Ingra has acquired extensive international experience getting agencies and brands to understand what’s coming to design meaningful narratives, ecosystems and structures that change hearts and minds. Whether leading in-person sprints across the globe or crafting culture-led strategies, she is a catalyst for creativity and impact. 

Her client roster includes WhatsApp, Uber, Beats, TikTok, Heineken, Johnnie Walker, adidas, among others in education, tech, luxury, beauty, alcohol & lifestyle, on projects with global and local reach in the US, UK, Europe, China and Brazil. 

Her past personal projects include doing a stand up set on being a woman, directing a micro-documentary on the skater gaze, and interviewing people across the globe.
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